How long can I store new tires in my garage (unmounted)??? I would like to mount them on my rims once the ones on the car go bad, don't know when yet. Also, is there a proper way of storing tires??? Thanks

Yes car tires can go bad if they sit for lond periods of time. Over time, rubber starts to decay due to ozone in the atmosphere and other environmental factors like temperature changes and sunlight. As long as you keep them in a relatively concieled environment (cool, dry, not in the sun) they can sit for a long time before the rubber starts to get hard. I would try to wrap each tire in a large plastic bag, and seal it with a wire tie or something of that sort.

That smell is extremely poisonous and should not be inhaled....J/K, it's the oil used during the stamping of the mold so it can be removed later from it and also the smell of new rubber. As stated, store tires away from direct sunlight on their side stacked. Throw a tarp over them so decrease exposure to the light. This way you can store them indefenately.
Once the tires have been heat cycled, that is when they start to get hard and lose performance.

You don't want them to dry rot ... thus, keep them in a relatively cool, dark and dry area. My Z3 is a 97 and it had 18k miles on it when I bought it in May of this year... the tires had some dry rotting and weather checking from lack of use. I used that as an excuse to get new Yoko AVS ES100s As for the smell, you should be fine, I had my new tires sitting in my hall for a week before I had them mounted, and it's just the rubber and mold release compound you're smelling ... no big deal.

Originally posted by Duncan G. Yes car tires can go bad if they sit for lond periods of time. Over time, rubber starts to decay due to ozone in the atmosphere and other environmental factors like temperature changes and sunlight. As long as you keep them in a relatively concieled environment (cool, dry, not in the sun) they can sit for a long time before the rubber starts to get hard. I would try to wrap each tire in a large plastic bag, and seal it with a wire tie or something of that sort.